Pilgrims pour into Mina camp as Haj begins

Makkah: At least 2.5 million Muslims began the annual Haj yesterday, heading to an encampment near the holy city of Makkah to retrace the route taken by the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) 14 centuries ago.

Travelling on foot, by public transport and in private cars, the pilgrims streamed through a mountain pass to a valley at Mina, some three km outside Makkah. The path is the same as the Prophet himself took on his last pilgrimage.

In pictures: Pilgrims descend on Makkah for Haj

This year, the first phase of the train project, called the Makkah Metro, will transport pilgrims between Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa. The $1.8 billion (Dh6.60 billion) railway project has tracks that are 18 kilometres long and will transport 180,000 passengers this year, said Habib Zein Al Abideen, assistant minister for municipal and rural affairs.

"We will have a capacity of 72,000 passengers per hour next year. This year we operate at 35 per cent capacity. Next year we could have 500,000 to 600,000 passengers," Abideen said. Due to its limited capacity, the train will this year only carry residents of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain, and next year will open to other nationalities.

"It will be a big improvement. Tickets cost only a symbolic amount," said Walid Al Mushawer, a Saudi pilgrim.

Saudi Arabia has worked hard to improve facilities to ease the flow of pilgrims at Haj. In 2006, 362 people were crushed to death. In the past, Haj has been marred by fires, hotel collapses, police clashes with protesters and deadly stampedes.